Toothbrush having paste tube on handle



March 30, 1948. A. LOEHR TOOTHBRUSH HAVING PASTE TUBE ON HANDLE Filed Oct. 24, 1946 I INVENTOR. Mays/us Zoe/7r Patented Mar. 30, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TOOTHBRUSH HAVING PASTE TUBE N HANDLE Aloysius Loehr, Wichita, Kans.

Application October 24, 1946, Serial No. 705,306

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to an improved combined toothbrush, paste tube and container therefor and has particular reference to a small toothbrush and paste tube that are packaged together and hermetically sealed.

An object of the present invention is to provide a small inexpensive packaged toothbrush and paste tube of the character described which is particularly adapted to be sold on trains, at depots, in restaurants, hotels and the like, and used temporarily, or once, and thrown away.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a flexible handle for the brush, which handle is capable of being bent over the paste tube for removably securing the tube thereto and which is also capable of being bent outwardly for extending the length of the handle.

A further object of the present invention is to construct the inner portion of the handle of a suitable flexible wire formed in the shape of a fork having two parallel branches in the shape of a fork and to longitudinally serrate the said branches to engage with the serrations in the outer surface of a conventional tooth paste tube cap to facilitate the retaining of the tube onto the handle.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a device of the character described that is simple in construction, economical to manufacture, positive in operation and highly serviceable in use.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of the specification, wherein for the purpose of illustration, like numerals designate like parts throughout the same,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view, shown on an enlarged scale, of the combined toothbrush and paste tube retained together, wrapped in a suitable transparent paper such as Cellophane and hermetically sealed,

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view, shown on an enlarged scale, of the combined toothbrush and paste tube showing the flexible portion of the handle bent over the paste tube,

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view, shown on an enlarged scale, of the toothbrush illustrating the flexible portion of the handle in its extended position, whereby the handle is lengthened, and

Fig. 4 is an end sectional view, shown on an enlarged scale, taken on line 44 of Fig. 2, looking in direction of the arrows.

Referring in detail to the drawing and to the numerals thereof, the numeral 5 designates the head portion of the toothbrush, the numeral 6 the brush thereon and the numeral 1 the main handle thereof. The flexible portion of the handle is designated as a whole by the numeral 8 and is preferably made of a suitable wire and formed fork shaped with two parallel prongs 9 and ID as illustrated in Fig. 1. The extremities of the said branches 9 and I9 extend into the inner end portion of the main handle I as at H and I2 and are substantially fixed therein.

The numeral l3 designates a small tooth paste tube and the numeral [4 a conventional cap therefor, which cap is serrated as at IS. The said tube is positioned on the inner face of the main handle 1 as shown in Fig. 1 and the wire or flexible handle 8 is bent over the said tube, whereby the same is removably secured on the handle. The prongs 9 and II] of the flexible handle are serrated as at l6 and I1 respectively and engage the notches or serrations I5 in the cap l4 of the paste tube to assist in securing the said tube on the main handle 1 whereby the said two members are retained in a single unit. The said combined toothbrush and toothpaste tube unit is placed in a suitable package l8, as shown in Fig. 1 and is preferably made of transparent material and hermetically sealed in'any conventional manner.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes relative to the shape, size, material and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claim.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

A device of the character described comprising a toothbrush, a stub handle leading from the brush, a tooth paste tube positioned on the said handle, a removable cap on the said tube, the said cap having a notched periphery, a wire fork fixed into the end of the said handle and bent over the paste tube for retaining the tube on the handle, the prongs of the wire fork being serrated for engaging the said notched periphery of the paste tube cap, the said wire fork when straightened providing additional hand gripping surface to the handle.

ALOYSIUS LOEHR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,062,480 Larocque May 20, 1913 1,537,467 Ingle May 12, 1925 1,724,516 Remedios Aug. 13, 1929 2,223,952 Darmody Dec. 3, 1940 

